MuggleNet Goes Behind the Game with “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery”

If you tuned in to our coverage of A Celebration of Harry Potter in Orlando last weekend, you may have seen our live stream where we got to experience a demo of the much-awaited mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. If you haven’t seen it, check out the video below!

We were also given the opportunity to interview some of the people who helped bring this game to life: Jam City’s Andrew Green, Head of Business Operations; Rocio Salas, Community Manager; and Matt London, Senior Narrative Designer. We got answers to some of our most burning questions and were also able to get their inside opinions of the game.

When asked what makes them stand out, Green stated that the fact that you actually get to attend Hogwarts as yourself really is a unique factor that separates Hogwarts Mystery from the other games being released this year.

We are the only game where you get to go to Hogwarts as yourself and as your student and play through a story experience that also has some action, mystery, adventure, and then all of the things that make it really personal, which is the school experience: the friends, the foes, the pranks, and also everything about school that makes growing up so incredible, which is the tests. But not just the tests [in] the curriculum but [also] the tests of like, ‘Who are you going to be?’

On if the game will ever be released on other platforms, Green revealed that this game will be exclusively for mobile and not available on other platforms such as PC or Xbox.

Yeah, [we] don’t have any plans yet, but who knows? [It] could happen. Yeah, so Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will be available on all iOS devices and all Android devices in spring of 2018.

We were able to learn that one of the Hogwarts mysteries is the fact that your brother (in the game) has suddenly gone missing. According to Green, that particular mystery takes you “to some very interesting places and introduces some new really cool dynamics to the world.”

So what inspired you to bring that [type of storyline where you have more control of your character and don’t necessarily have to follow a set storyline] back?

Andrew Green: I mean, the main thing is the fantasy that everyone has, which is being at Hogwarts, being themselves there, and making the decisions that they wanted to become the witch or wizard that they want to be, and we were like, “Well, if we can unlock that, then this is going to be an amazing experience for everybody.”

Because we just also came back from the Fantastic Beasts VR Experience, and then there’s another game coming out for Harry Potter [Harry Potter: Wizards Unite], so there'[re] three Harry Potter-themed video gamescoming out just this year. So what makes you guys more special?

Andrew: So I think what makes us unique compared to the other products is that we are the only game where you get to go to Hogwarts as yourself and as your student and play through a story experience that also has some action, mystery, adventure, and then all of the things that make it really personal, which is the school experience: the friends, the foes, the pranks, and also everything about school that makes growing up so incredible, which is the tests. But not just the tests [in] the curriculum but [also] the tests of like, “Who are you going to be?” Right? Like, “Who do you want to be?” That’s just such a fun thing that makes the Harry Potter saga so memorable, is that it’s not just the mystery, the adventure, and the magic, [but] it’s also coming of age. It’s also learning how to be a person in a part of a community and like, “What is right and what is wrong?” and standing up for things you believe in, so we wanted to bring all of that into a game and put you at the center of it.

So we’re going to be our own characters, but we also know that it takes place in a timeframe a little bit before Harry[‘s], yes?

Andrew: Yeah, Harry is actually only… It starts right after the First Wizarding War. So it’s actually the ’80s. And it’s a relative time of peace because Voldemort has been vanquished, and witches and wizards [who] were living in a time of turmoil can now finally in peace go to Hogwarts and now finally have their Hogwarts experience, and it’s pretty freed up in terms of space for new mysteries or new things to happen that are part of your own script.

Are you allowed to say anything about what those mysteries are [or] what the storyline is?

Andrew: So I’ll just say it involves… The main thing is, your brother was a pretty beloved student at Hogwarts, and he has gone missing.

So that’s the Hogwarts mystery?

Andrew: That is one! So where that mystery goes, though, is to some very interesting places and introduces some new really cool dynamics to the world, so…

Okay, so I also have a question, too, about the animation. If you look at [LEGO HarryPotter], which is hilarious – it’s its own unique animation – and then the earlier “film” video games look more similar to this one [as] they go because [with] the later ones, there’s more of a virtual reality like Fantastic Beasts, where they’re more realistic. So why did you choose the more – I want to say “kid-friendly,” almost – cartoon animation one?

Andrew: Yeah. So we wanted to try to find… We didn’t want the game to look like it was for kids. We want the game to look like it’s for everyone, and if you go too photorealistic also, it’s not the best from a rendering perspective for all devices, and we want to make sure that everyone on all different types of devices, whether the newest or the oldest devices, on Android and on iOS can actually play the game and not have any lag or not have any problems and that it’s all a really smooth experience for everybody. And also that it is inviting.

One question… When we’ve written articles when this was announced and stuff, we had a lot of people wondering if it’s ever going to be released on PC or anything like that? Or is it going to be an exclusive…?

Andrew: Yeah, [we] don’t have any plans yet, but who knows? [It] could happen. Yeah, so Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will be available on all iOS devices and all Android devices in spring of 2018.

So no plans to have [it on] Xbox or PlayStation or Wii?

Not at this time.

Any plans to move toward virtual reality with this game, where you can…?

Andrew: There aren’t any plans, but now that you mention it, it could work that way, but we don’t… So our studio doesn’t have that much experience with VR or anything like that, but [it] could happen.

Even if it’s a cartoon. Because Fantastic Beasts is still a cartoon, almost. It’s a little bit more photorealistic, but because they’re all creatures that don’t exist, it still looks pretty animated, so even if you could just step into the cartoon in be in your own personal video game for a while. That’d be awesome. So also, in comparison, do we know if the Wizards Unite game is also on phones too because it’s like Pokémon GO? Everything is mobile.

Andrew: It’s just a really accessible platform for everyone to play on. There’s just no barrier to entry. Trying to keep it easy.

What is your favorite part of the game?

Andrew: I think my favorite part of the game is… I really like just spellcasting in general and learning the spells. I think that’s just such a fun progression element to… There are so many spells that I love. I know it’s a little hardcore, but I think the spell Sectumsempra, for instance… It’s not necessarily in the game, [it’s] a pretty crazy spell, though. There'[re] so many badass, crazy spells in the wizarding world, and so just being able to see which ones you can learn, and then you learn them. I’m not saying that that spell’s in the game, obviously, but [there are] just so many crazy spells to learn and learning them and then being able to cast them when you need to as part of your adventure is just a really cool part of the game. I don’t know why that was the first one.

So we also have Rocio here. Do you have a favorite part of the game?

Rocio Salas: Yeah, actually, I think my favorite part is just the nostalgia factor that it gives me. Just the first time I played the build, I was just overwhelmed with nostalgia. I was just like, “Oh man. I feel so comfortable in all of these environments already” because everything looks exactly like in the movies. It looks so authentic, and also, especially, I think that first scene in the Great Hall just overwhelmed me, and it’s very good. I didn’t work on this, so it’s not like I’m tooting my own horn, but it feels like it’s really good scene setting, and it’s just really establishing the magical narrative that’s going to follow suit.

Favorite spell that you would create. And then maybe give it to your creative team to put in the game.

Rocio: I think the reason why I would want magic in general is for convenience’s sake. So I guess I would make an alarm spell that kept me on track that would be like, “All right, it’s 12. Go.” Just a timekeeping spell for myself.

So we were also asking this in comparison to other Harry Potter video games that are coming out this year – because you have [the] Fantastic Beasts virtual reality [game], and then we have Wizards Unite – so for you, what makes Hogwarts Mystery special?

Rocio: The narrative, absolutely. I think the fact that you actually get to uncover mysteries within Hogwarts and… I personally love Harry Potter for the narrative, for the plot, and for all of that… I like it for being able to delve into a magical world. That’s usually why I like to read fantasy, to be able to go immerse myself, and I think our game does that really well. There are certain little things that, as I’m playing through the game, I’m like, “Oh, ha. I get that.” There'[re] little things that just keep me immersed in the world, and I think that’s something that we do really well.

Matt London: There is an original character who will play a pivotal role in the storyline of the game, and seeing Snape brew a potion and be the Half-Blood Prince in his full nature. There are so many spells and potions to unlock.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will be available for download on all iOS and Android devices in spring 2018!

Will you be exploring the mysteries of Hogwarts? Let us know in the comments below!